Will NYS Department of Labor know if I work while collecting unemployment benefits?
I've been collecting unemployment for about 6 weeks now and I might have an opportunity to pick up some part-time work. I'm worried about how this affects my benefits and whether NYS Department of Labor will automatically know about it. Do I need to report every hour I work? What happens if I forget to report something? I don't want to mess up my claim but I also need the extra income right now.
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Nia Jackson
Yes, you absolutely must report ALL work and earnings when you file your weekly claim. NYS Department of Labor requires you to report any work performed during the week, even if you haven't been paid yet. They cross-reference with employer payroll records and tax databases, so they will eventually find out. It's much better to report it upfront than get caught later with an overpayment.
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Luca Romano
•What if it's just like 10 hours of freelance work? Do I still have to report that even if I haven't gotten paid?
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Mateo Hernandez
They will know! I learned this the hard way. I did some cash work last year thinking they wouldn't find out and got hit with a $2,800 overpayment notice. NYS Department of Labor has access to wage records from the state tax department. When you file your weekly certification, you need to report the gross amount you earned that week, not what you got paid.
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CosmicCruiser
•Oof that's rough. Did you have to pay it all back at once or could you set up a payment plan?
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Mateo Hernandez
•They took it out of future benefits first, then I had to pay the rest back. Definitely not worth trying to hide work.
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Aisha Khan
I've been dealing with this same situation. You can actually work part-time and still collect partial unemployment benefits as long as you report everything correctly. NYS Department of Labor will reduce your weekly benefit amount based on how much you earn, but you might still get something. The key is being honest on your weekly claim form.
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Luca Romano
•How do they calculate the reduction? Is there a formula or do they just cut your benefits completely?
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Ethan Taylor
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about reporting part-time work. After waiting on hold for hours multiple times, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Was able to get my questions answered about partial benefits within a day instead of spending weeks trying to call.
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Yuki Ito
•Is that legit? Never heard of using a service to call NYS Department of Labor for you.
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Ethan Taylor
•Yeah it's real. They basically handle the calling and waiting part for you. Was worth it to get clear answers about how to report my freelance income properly.
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Yuki Ito
Just be super careful with the dates. When you work matters for which week you report it in. I got confused about this and reported work in the wrong week and it messed up my whole claim for a month. NYS Department of Labor is very specific about their weekly reporting periods.
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